Jee Leong Koh

 Armaan Arif

February 25th, 2024

Professor Vincent
        


        A common theme we've been discussing in class is arguing the difference between a writer and a translator, even arguing whether there is a difference. I feel Jee Leong Koh's writing often explores personal themes like identity and love, using language to create strong images and feelings. As a translator, he carefully turns works from one language into another, respecting the original's spirit and cultural details. (points we can relate back to previous lectures) You can compare his translating style to careful gardening, maintaining the essence of a plant in a new soil, while his own writing is like painting, freely creating beauty on a blank canvas. Although both crafts involve words, translating requires faithful representation, whereas his personal writing allows for more creative freedom. I found his perspective to translating a lot more interesting than the other translators. His style is definitely more out of pocket and less formal. His writing/translating style had a much more distinct connection to his personal life. His connection to New York City can be seen throughout his characters in creative writing and in his translation style. I found his haiku translations pretty interesting, as we discussed in class. The haiku's were at a traditional 5-7-5 syllable, yet he decided to ignore that and translate into a more efficient style in English.

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